Is there such a thing as a hypoallergenic puppy?

Is any puppy truly hypoallergenic?

None is. Every dog makes allergens, and no study has shown any dog to be hypoallergenic. The proteins travel in a dog's hair and dander as well as its saliva and urine. Poodles and several kinds of terriers have a reputation for being allergy friendly, yet a truly allergy-free breed doesn't exist.

The label has been put to the test in real homes. When researchers compared house dust from homes with dogs said to be hypoallergenic against dust from homes with other breeds, the allergen levels were about the same. Another study went to the coats themselves and found more of the main dog allergen on the breeds sold that way, Poodles included, and no difference between breeds in the air indoors. Its authors found no reason to call any breed hypoallergenic.

Why do some breeds shed so much less than others?

It comes down to coat genes. A small set of genes explains the coat types of most purebred dogs, and a couple of them are tied to shedding. Breeds known for shedding very little, such as the Poodle and the Bichon Frise, carry two copies of the gene form that also grows furnishings, while the heavy shedders don't carry it.

Furnishings are the long mustache and eyebrow hair of a Poodle-type coat, and a single copy of that gene form is enough for a puppy to grow them. The research compared whole breeds, though, so it can't tell you how much any single puppy will shed.

Less shedding means less hair left on the floor and the sofa. Less hair isn't the same as less allergen, though. Single dogs vary in how much allergen they give off, yet there's no clear and steady pattern by breed, the lower-shedding breeds included.

How much do our purebred breeds shed?

Here is how our purebreds compare, from the least shedding up, along with the coat care each one needs.

• Miniature Poodle, very little. A curly coat keeps growing and skips the yearly shed, and it needs frequent care. Clips and groomer visits are in Miniature Poodle haircuts and grooming, and you can browse every Mini Poodle puppy we have listed.
• Shih Tzu, also very little. The long coat needs brushing down to the skin every day. Lifespan and the allergy question are in our Shih Tzu lifespan and shedding guide, and the puppies are on our Shih Tzu page.
• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, lightly. The silky coat needs only weekly brushing, and Cavaliers shed a little year round and most in spring and fall. Read do Cavaliers shed for the detail, or meet our Cavalier puppies.
• Westie, a moderate amount. Hard, straight outer hair sits over a short, soft undercoat, and it needs daily brushing. Stripping and clipping are explained in do Westies shed, and our Westie puppies have a page of their own.
• Miniature Schnauzer, very little to a moderate amount. Schnauzers are often described as shedding very little, though some ratings put them in the middle, and the wiry coat needs a lot of care, with most pet owners having it clipped by a groomer every five to eight weeks. Our Schnauzer grooming guide covers the cuts, and the puppies are on our Miniature Schnauzer page.

Do Cavapoos and doodles shed less?

They can, and no breeder can promise it. Each puppy's coat depends on the genes it inherits from its mama and papa, and the parent breeds mark the range each cross starts from.

• Cavapoo and F1B Cavapoo. The Cavalier sheds lightly and the Miniature Poodle very little, and a Cavalier's coat has no curl where a Poodle's is curly. An F1B Cavapoo has more Poodle in it than a Cavapoo, and our F1B Cavapoo explainer walks through the coat genes. Both kinds are listed on our Cavapoo and F1B Cavapoo pages.
• F1B Goldendoodle. On the parents' side, the Golden sheds a good deal and the Miniature Poodle very little. Our F1B Goldendoodles have a Goldendoodle for a mama and a Miniature Poodle for a papa, and do Goldendoodles shed works through the odds by generation. The puppies are on our F1B Goldendoodle page.
• F1B Saint Berdoodle. The Saint Bernard sheds a fair amount, with a heavier shed twice a year, and the Miniature Poodle very little. Each of ours has a Saint Berdoodle for its mama and a Poodle for its papa, as the Mini Saint Berdoodle guide explains, and the puppies are on our F1B Saint Berdoodle page.

Breeding back to a Poodle raises the odds that a puppy carries the Poodle's two copies of the furnishings gene, without making it certain. A puppy that does grow a low-shedding coat still makes allergens, as every dog does.

How can a family with allergies live with a dog?

Book a visit with an allergist before choosing any puppy. A skin-prick test is the usual way to find a dog allergy, and it's worth doing even when you're sure a dog is the cause, since the symptoms may come from something else in your home. Allergy shots build tolerance over time, and dog lovers should talk them over with an allergist.

At home, keep the dog out of the bedroom and limited to a few rooms, run HEPA air cleaners in the bedroom or living room, and use a high-efficiency vacuum regularly. Wash your hands with soap and water after petting. Allergen levels run higher in the rooms where a dog is allowed, and closing a dog into one room won't keep the allergen there.

A bath at least once a week can cut down the dog allergen in the air. Ask your vet or groomer what suits your dog's coat first, because a Westie's hard coat shouldn't be bathed too often. For some mildly allergic people, brushing the dog every day may cut allergen in the air enough to keep a dog.

How can you judge a puppy's coat before you choose?

Look at the grown dogs it comes from. Every listing on our site links to the puppy's mama and papa, with their photographs, and the breed guides above describe the coat each breed grows. You can reserve by gender and color, and the final pick waits until 4 to 5 weeks, when a coat shows far more than it did at birth.

If someone in your family reacts to dogs, put the allergist appointment ahead of the application, and spend time around grown dogs of the breed you're considering. No breeder can promise how a puppy will affect an allergy, and that includes us. You're welcome to visit here in Syracuse, Indiana, during our hours or at another time on request. Whenever you decide to go ahead, the application has room to describe your household and the puppy you want.